Broken Lotus
by Raziel12
Summary: AU. Instead of hiding his Equalist affiliations from Asami, Hiroshi instead makes her an integral part of the movement. As a child Asami lost her mother to benders. Her father is determined to never let something like that happen again. And who better to help him with that than Amon? And who better to teach Asami how to fight than the leader of the Equalist movement?


**The Beginning**

When Asami was six years old, everything changed.

It changed with a blast of flame that left the scent of burnt flesh in its wake. Her mother was dead, and she and her father were left to pick up the pieces together.

And there were so many pieces.

Her father had always doted on her, and her mother's death did not change that. If anything, they grew even closer. He brought her into his workshop as often as he could and taught her as much as he could about machines and how to design them. She didn't play with dolls. She learned how engines worked and how technology could let ordinary people do extraordinary things.

Her father talked as he worked. There was an edge to his voice now that had never been there before, but Asami listened. He meant the world to her.

"The world is not fair, Asami. It has never been fair, and I was a fool not to see that earlier." He was hunched over another one of his inventions, tinkering away. She listened keenly to every word he said, but she had eyes only for the intricacies of the device.

"Yes, father." She nodded. Her teachers at school always talked about how the world was a better place now, about how the Avatar had brought peace, prosperity, and equality to the world. But she knew better. Her mother had died at a bender's hands because bending made some people more equal than others.

"The only way that the world will ever be fair is if we make it fair ourselves." He took a deep breath and then pursed his lips. The components weren't fitting together quite right. "But there are people who won't listen because they don't understand. But we'll make them listen. We'll make them understand."

"Yes."

"The problem was always been power. When people have to earn their power, it keeps them humble and honest. It keeps them pure. I earned everything I have, Asami. That's why I take care of my employees. I remember what it was like to be poor, to have nothing." He reached for another wrench. "But benders, they haven't earned anything. They were born with power, so it's no surprise that it corrupts them."

Her brows furrowed. It made sense, and her father had never lied to her before. Besides, everyone said he was very smart.

Her father stopped what he was doing and lifted her up so that she could get a better look at what he was working on. "That's why I'm teaching you as much as I can. I want you to learn everything, to earn your place in this world the way I did. You won't become like those benders. You won't be corrupt. You'll grow up to be the kind of woman that your mother would be proud of. You want that, right?"

"More than anything, father." Asami nodded fiercely. "I promise that I'll do my best."

"I know you will." He smiled. "You're my little girl, the most precious thing in the world to me. I know you'll grow up to be a wonderful woman."

When she was seven years old, her father invited her to his study in the middle of the night. There was a man in a mask there. He turned to look at her, and she shrank away. He hadn't moved an inch, yet his presence filled the room. Even without knowing who he was, she could tell that he was powerful. But it would be okay. Her father was still smiling, so they must already know each other.

She went to her father, and he lifted her up onto his lap. His eyes were shining. "Asami, I want you to meet a very good friend of mine. His name is Amon."

"Amon?" Asami murmured. It was a strange name.

"Yes." Amon's voice was strong and firm – a leader's voice. "That is my name. Your father tells me that you've both lost a great deal because of benders."

Asami shuddered. "They killed my mommy."

Amon's voice grew soft and almost gentle. "Benders have taken a lot from me as well. That is how your father and I became friends. Do you know what I want, Asami?"

"No."

"Let me tell you." Amon took off his mask. Asami gasped but did not look away. The face behind the mask might have been called handsome once, but it was burnt and scarred now. "A firebender did this to me. I was lucky enough to survive. What I want isn't revenge because revenge won't change anything. I want justice."

Aasami looked up at her father. He was nodding along to Amon's words, enthralled. "How?"

"I want to bring equality to the world – real equality, not the fake kind they talk about in books or stories. But I'm not strong enough, not on my own. I need help, and your father has kindly agreed to lend me what aid he can."

"Father?" Asami tugged on her father's sleeve.

Her father grinned. "I have been meeting with Amon for some time now, Asami. I truly believe that he is the one who can bring equality to this world. And while I cannot help him openly – there are too many benders in positions of power – there are still things that I can do." He gazed into her eyes. "But, Asami, you must keep this a secret. No one can know."

"But… then why did you tell me?"

Amon chuckled. It was a warm sound, and his hands were gentle when he reached over to ruffle her hair. "She is as clever as you said. She must get it from her father."

Her father laughed. "You give me too much credit, Amon." Then his voice turned serious again. "You are the only family that I have left, Asami. Whatever happens, we have to stand together. You are my daughter – I love and trusted you, and I want you to help me bring about a better world. Can you do that?"

"I'll try." She paused. "But what can I do?"

"For now, not much. But that will change in time. I know that when the time comes, you will do your part to bring equality to the world." Her father wrapped his arms around her. "We'll make it so that what happened to your mother can never happen again."

"I'll do my best, father. I promise."

"Good." Amon nodded at them. "I must go, Hiroshi. I have other matters to attend to. Asami, it was nice to meet you."

"About what we discussed earlier…"

"I'm taking care of it." Amon lowered his voice. "Be careful. We cannot afford to move openly yet."

"The Avatar is still young," her father replied. "She is no threat."

"Perhaps. But there is still the Council and the police." Amon opened a window and vanished into the night. "Be wary of them, Hiroshi. They are benders. You cannot trust them."

X X X

A few nights later, Amon began to teach Asami how to defend herself. Despite his menacing appearance, he was a good teacher. He was patient yet firm with her. Rather than advancing too quickly, he seemed content to show her the basics and then have her practice them until they became second nature to her. She appreciated this approach – her father had always told her that if she was going to do something, she should do it well. Nor did he take it easy on her as so many of her tutors at school did. Instead, he pushed her, sensing her drive to improve.

Only when he was satisfied with her progress did he allow her to start practicing on training mitts. There was something satisfying about punching and kicking things, and she was more than ready when they finally moved onto sparring. Of course, it wasn't anything like actually fighting. He was always mindful of his strength when they sparred, hitting her just hard enough to make a point. More often than not, he was content to move gracefully around her strikes like water rustling against the shore. One day, she vowed to herself, she would be able to move like that – a liquid shadow.

After two years of training, Amon took her aside.

"You have exceeded my expectations, Asami. You have real talent."

She beamed. He was not one to hand out idle praise. "Thank you."

"You still have a long way to go, but I believe that you are now ready to start learning some of the more… esoteric skills that you will need to help bring equality to the world." He paused. "During our next training session, I will begin teaching you how to alter the flow of chi through someone's body. Done properly, it will allow you to block even a powerful bender's abilities."

Asami could barely contain her excitement. Her father had told her stories of what Amon could do. To be able to defeat benders was something she had dreamed about. They'd taken her mother away, but she wouldn't let them take anyone else away from her. "I'll learn everything."

"I know you will." Amon tilted his head to one side. "Tell me, how do you feel about taking a trip to the South Pole?"

"The South Pole?"

"Yes, there is someone there that you should meet." Amon chuckled. "I cannot move freely without attracting suspicion, but you and your father can. Besides, knowing thy enemy is the first step to victory."

X X X

**Author's Notes**

As always, I do not own Legend of Korra. I am not making any money off of this either.

Well, now that Legend of Korra has concluded, I can finally start chipping away at this AU that I've had planned for a while. As you can see the biggest change is that Asami is much more involved in the Equalist movement – something that will have big, big implications as the story moves through the events of the series. I always thought it would have been cool if she really were playing both sides.

I also write original fiction. You can find out more in my profile.

As always, I appreciate feedback. Reviews and comments are welcome.


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